Henderson v. W. C. Haas Realty Management, Inc., 561 S.W.2d 382 (1977)

Citation: Henderson v. W. C. Haas Realty Management, Inc., 561 S.W.2d 382 (1977)
Parent Document: Henderson v. W. C. Haas Realty Management, Inc., 561 S.W.2d 382 (1977)
Jurisdiction: Missouri (state)
Effective Date: 1977-12-05
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1628318/henderson-v-w-c-haas-realty-man... ↗

Full Text

1,541 chars

Taking the circumstantial evidence adduced by appellants as to the place where the fire began in its light most favorable to them, these facts would support the jury’s finding that it did so in the common storage and washing machine area in the northwest quadrant of the basement. When awakened from her northeast quadrant of the basement apartment, Millie Shaffer heard “snapping, popping, crackling and roaring” overhead. She later saw the front, west quadrant over the laundry and storage area, collapse. Audrey Nelson was awakened by a clanging sound in the floor, just over the laundry and storage area. She felt heat in the floor when she got out of bed. Chief Broockerd opened the basement door and knew where the fire was because he could hear it popping and cracking to his right or northwest, and the firefighters reported that the fire was above them in the basement lapping or seeping out of the sheetrock here and there. The Chief determined that the fire was running through the floors and up through the walls. The floor over the storage and laundry area first fell in after two hours. From all the facts, the Chief determined that the fire had been in the basement inter-ceiling area in the northwest corner above the storage and laundry common area. Of all the things which ran through the floors and walls, the only thing which was capable of starting a fire was the electrical wiring. This opinion of Chief Broockerd is within the ambit of expert testimony approved in the Citizens Bank case, supra. Note also the Old Town

Other Sections in This Document (52)

Full Text